‘MILLY IN MY TOP 5’
when Jurgen Klopp’s side visit, will be another level again.
Koeman said: “The crowd at Everton against Arsenal was absolutely fantastic.
“That was the highlight of my entire period so far at this club.
“The fans were bouncing. Some people at the club told me they had not seen this for almost two years and I take that as a compliment for the team.”
At the same time, Koeman accepts the criticism that has come his way in recent weeks.
He added: “It is normal. They are allowed to be critical from time to time. When I was at Southampton, the media and fans stayed calm if we went through a bad run of games.
“Here, it causes uproar. That is the proof that this is a big club. That is how it works at big clubs.
“Everyone in the team understands what we have to do to get more results.”
Gareth Barry, Leighton Baines and Mason Holgate all penned new deals on Friday and Ross Barkley and Romelu Lukaku, it is hoped, will open discussions soon.
Before then, the club will strengthen in the transfer window, with the board ready to back their manager. Koeman said: “The board are calm and in control . When I
came here, I knew I could not sort it all in one summer and one transfer window.
“We are going to do more in January. Right now, we are doing our homework and will strengthen the team.”
But not before the small matter of tomorrow’s match is out of the way. JURGEN KLOPP has claimed James Milner is in the top five players he’s ever worked with.
And the Kop boss believes former England star Milner, 31 in January, could stay at the top for another five or six years after bestowing lavish praise on the utility star.
Klopp said: “I have nothing bad to say about any of my players, but he is certainly in the top five.
“I have been very lucky to surround myself with great professionals, but Milly is 100 per cent in the top five. Yes, he is the perfect professional.”
Coming from Klopp, who has managed stars such as Mats Hummels, Robert Lewandowski, Mario Gotze, Ilkay Gundogan, Marco Reus, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrikh Mkhitaryan in the Bundesliga at Borussia Dortmund, that’s some accolade.
And Klopp (right) has exploded the Twitter myth that Milner is the dull character portrayed in the “Boring James Milner” parody account that plays on the Yorkshireman’s so-called mundane life.
“I heard this once. But it could not be further from the truth,” said Klopp. “He is a proper English professional.
“With the humour and – what do you say? – big mouth! He is a very funny person. I have no idea where it came from. But perhaps it is about having the same haircut since he was at Leeds!”
Milner, signed by Brendan Rodgers on a free from Manchester City, joined Liverpool, hoping to be a central midfielder.
But, to Klopp’s delight, Milner has reinvented himself and stretched his versatile tag to the limit at left-back when many thought his days under the German would be numbered.
And at Goodison Park tomorrow night Milner goes into the Mersey derby with Everton, having played in 14 of Liverpool’s 16 League games so far this season.
“He has already been part of nice football stories,” added Klopp. “When I heard that Liverpool had signed him, I thought it was really good and that was at a time I had no idea that I would be part of his football development.
“I know Milly and he wants to play always. Maybe that was not the case at City and it made sense to leave. “From the outside, it looks a difficult transition – to come from a wide position or central midfield to specialist role at full-back.
“But James is footballsmart, has good instincts and is quick, so he is good. “It says more about his quality to make that switch. It would not have been the smartest decision if he said he didn’t want to do it.
“People say he doesn’t look like a leftback because most of the time they are defensive-minded, but a lot of time he is running into spaces looking to attack.
“We didn’t want to make him a leftback, we only want someone who can have an influence on the game from this position. That is why we though it might be a good idea.
“He has had to deal with situations like this in a long career already. He was open and I was not surprised by that.
“I am not 100 per cent sure what his future holds in this position, but he is comfortable and, with the ball especially, he looks assured.
“For sure he has five or six really good years.”